Boys & Girls Club Serves Area’s Incarcerated Youth

Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility Houses Program for At-Risk Youth

The community recently got a chance to see first hand an innovative program aimed at improving life outcomes for some of the area’s most at-risk youth.

The newest Boys & Girls Club in the area is located within the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility, on Kiefer Boulevard. The location came as a result of partnership between the Sacramento Probation Department and the Boys & Girls Club. Members of the public toured the new location, which has been in the works for nearly a year, last month.

The club began providing youth development programming and services to male and female youth incarcerated in juvenile hall in June. The Boys & Girls Club is located in its own unit of the facilities and is equipped with a games room, two enrichment rooms and an adjacent basketball court.

The facility has been painted bright and vibrant colors to mimic the Boys & Girls Clubs located in the community. Daily programs include: career exploration, life skills training, relationship and social skills, poetry, art, music, fitness and leadership and citizenship.

The club is staffed by Boys & Girls Club youth development professionals and mentors who provide a safe and supportive program for both male and female members. Incarcerated youth are also connected to community support programs and mentors upon release and are part of a formal case management program. Other partners include the Sacramento County Office of Education which sponsors Boys & Girls Club programs each day on their community school sites.

Many youth leaving juvenile hall will attend these community schools to obtain a GED or to catch up on credits before going back to the comprehensive high school in their District.

The juvenile hall Boys & Girls Club is one of only five similar clubs in California and is just the 13th in the nation.